A Business Opportunity
by Smenzer
Summary: Will Turner learns how to improve his blacksmithing business thanks to Jack Sparrow. He also discovers a new metalworking technique! Will-Elizabeth. Now COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

A Business Opportunity

Title: A Business Opportunity

Author: Smenzer

Rating: PG

Characters: Will, Jack, Norrington, very brief Gillette

Pairing: Will/Elizabeth with James/Elizabeth mentioned briefly

Genre: Comedy

Teaser: Jack offers Will a business opportunity. Is it a scam or for real?

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to whoever owns the rights to Pirates of the Caribbean. This is just for fun.

Author's Note: A big thanks to Icybubblz from Neo who explained why companies sell stock. A lot of this story is based on the stock market, but you don't need to know anything about stocks to read it. Of course, a real stock market didn't exist in the Age of Sail. This is a comedy so…

000

Will Turner pounded away on the red hot metal, slowly shaping it into the form of a sword. It was hard work but he was used to it. And he was darn lucky that he hadn't got hung after pulling that wild stunt of rescuing Jack Sparrow. He had been pardoned, Elizabeth had said she loved him and all was good in Port Royal.

Pausing at his work, Will wiped at his sweating brow and frowned. All wasn't really that good at all. He should be the happiest man around, but he wasn't. Although Governor Swann had seemed to accept him, he could tell from the look in the older man's eyes that he really didn't like it at all. He wasn't from the correct social class and he couldn't support Elizabeth properly at all. He had tried to explain all that to Elizabeth one day and she had said she didn't care, but he didn't think she really understood any of it at all. How could she? She had servants her whole life, ate fancy meals, rode in carriages and had a closet full of fine gowns. Would she really understand living in a tiny room, saving every coin or eating bits of dried bread? It was just things she couldn't relate to at all and he feared she was in for a nasty shock, a shock he feared may end their relationship before it really started. Then she would be trapped, would turn bitter and would wish she had married the Commodore after all.

"If only I had some real money! Then I could take care of her properly, like she deserves!" Will slammed the hammer down on the hot metal again, his bare back and chest glistening in the fire of the forge. He couldn't help thinking of the piles of treasure he had seen in the pirate cave. If only he had grabbed a tiny handful, a few precious jewels! It would have been enough for a decent start with Elizabeth. But of course he hadn't. He wasn't a pirate and the stuff hadn't been his. Nor had he ever thought Elizabeth would have chosen him over Commodore Norrington. Sure, he had hoped but it had been more a fantasy dream than reality. The two social classes just didn't mix. It wasn't done. But Elizabeth hadn't cared.

Or so she said.

Still, his money problem remained and Will didn't know how to solve it. He slaved away all day and a good chunk of the night at the forge and he had little to show for it. There just was no way to get ahead it seemed. What profit he made had to go for buying more metal to make new items, so there was little for himself. He couldn't even take Elizabeth out to dinner. Just then the door to the blacksmith shop swung open, a cool breeze blowing across Will's sweaty back. Expecting to see a customer with a beat up cooking pot for repair, he was startled to see a smartly dressed footman in fine clothing.

"A letter for you, Mr. Turner." The footman said from where he stood near the door, apparently unwilling to enter farther into the too hot and blistering shop.

"For me?" Will blinked his eyes in surprise and then hurried to accept the piece of folded parchment. Although he had little experience with parchment, he could see it was a fine, thick piece that shouted great wealth. Was it from Elizabeth? Somehow he doubted it, as surely she'd prefer to visit in person. Still, the Swans were the only wealthy family he knew and they employed footmen. Turning the sealed letter over, he saw an unfamiliar seal pressed into the dried wax. "Who is it from?"

"Blackheart, Inc." The footman replied. "A new business that has moved in near the waterfront. If there isn't a return message, may I go, Sir?"

"Oh, sure. Go ahead." Will waved the footman away, still unused to the whole thing. It felt odd as well. If he married Elizabeth, would he have to get used to it? Prying the letter open, Will started to read the fine elaborate script inside.

_Dear William Turner,_

_You are cordially invited to join a unique business opportunity. Here at Blackheart Inc we have YOUR future in mind. Join us so we both can grow wealthy together. _

_Sincerely yours,_

Mr. Blackheart

Will stared at the letter dumbfounded. He had never received anything like it before and didn't know what to think. Who was this Mr. Blackheart and why did he send the letter to him? Was it some sort of scam or was it for real? And what did Inc mean? Did they mean Ink and they spelled it wrong? Realizing that it was almost lunch time, Will decided he'd go get a bite to eat and stop off to see this person. Quickly pulling his white shirt and brown vest back on, he was ready to go.

After closing up shop, Will bought a hard roll from the local bakery and strolled down the waterfront. His own blacksmith shop wasn't that far from the water, either, but he hardly ever got out to go exploring due to his heavy workload. Chewing the yeasty bread, Will stopped in front of one of the buildings. A fancy sign hung on the buildings front, the words spelling out 'Blackheart Inc'. Pushing the door open Will strolled in.

A man sat behind a desk, wearing much finer clothes than he himself did. The outfit included a fine frock coat, a lacy neck cloth and a powdered wig. And like all the other rich snobs Will had encountered, he had the way of scowling down upon him as if he wasn't good enough. But then, since that fiasco with Jack Sparrow, he'd been getting lots of funny looks. The engagement to Elizabeth caused more looks and hushed whispers. Sometimes he'd enter a noisy shop and things would fall silent, making him feel uncomfortable. Still, there was nothing to be done about it. He loved Elizabeth and had been willing to die for her. What were a few whispers or even a scandal compared to true love? "Is Mr. Blackheart in? I received this letter…"

"And you are…?" The man replied with a nasally voice.

"Will Turner." Will replied, doubt growing in his stomach about this whole thing. Perhaps his recent celebrity status had attracted some conmen? Still, these people didn't look like ruffians or pirates. They were too clean and well dressed. And surely pirates wouldn't own a building right in town. Even Jack Sparrow wasn't bold enough to do that!

"Please wait a moment and I will check." The man stood and went through another door. After a few short moment, he returned, a somewhat pleasant smile upon his face. "Mr. Blackheart will see you now. Please follow me."

Glad that he was finally getting somewhere; Will followed the man down a long hall to a nicely decorated office. Once he was inside, the man left, closing the door on the way out. Someone was sitting in the chair behind the desk, just the white powdered wig showing over the chair's back. When the chair spun around, a very familiar face met him.

"Jack?" Will gasped, shocked to see the pirate he had only recently helped rescue from the hangman's noose. "You're Mr. Blackheart?"

"'Course, mate. Can't rightly use me own name can I? Old Norrie be on me faster than ticks on a dog." Jack Sparrow replied, frowning as he adjusted the white powder wig he was wearing. "Hate wearing this thing, mate. It makes me itchy. No wonder Norrie is always so sour."

"What is this letter about, Jack?" Will thumped the piece of parchment down onto the pirate's desk. "Or was that just a cover to get me here?"

"I thought you'd like to invest in me company." Jack replied.

"Invest? You're a _pirate_, Jack. You don't _have_ a company!" Will couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jack was asking him for money! "Why are you asking me for money when you have an entire cave filled with it?"

Jack stared at him long and hard. "Ye don't understand how business works, do ye?"

"Of course I do. A person works long and hard and does a good job…" Will automatically replied, but then paused. Doing that hadn't really gotten him any money for himself though. It kept him off the street, yes, but he couldn't really support a wife or buy anything. All the money he earned had to go right back into the blacksmith shop for more supplies.

"And where has that gotten ye, Will? Ye helped me out of a very difficult spot, so I'm going to help ye in return, mate." Jack grinned as he pulled open a desk drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment. "I'm going to sell ye a piece of me company."

Will rolled his eyes. "You don't _have_ a company!"

"Of course I do. Pirating is me company!" Jack explained matter-of-factly. "Now pay attention, William. This is a unique investment opportunity and ye don't want to pass it by. Trust me on that. Spend a wee bit of coin now and in the future you'll receive a big _chest_ full of coins!"

Skeptical, Will crossed his arms over his chest. "You're a pirate, Jack. Pirates don't _give_ money away, they only _take_ it. Isn't that what your Code says?"

"Yes," Jack jumped off his chair and hurried around to Will's side, pressing close and waved the parchment before his eyes. "But this paper makes ye an honorary pirate! When we prosper so do you! And ye don't have to do any actual pirating, either! You just live here in Port Royal and help us support our business. That _tiny_ investment you make now will come back to you later in _thousands_ of shiny golden coins! Think of what ye could do with that, mate! Surely ye could use it, err?"

"Thousands?" Will asked, the image of a treasure chest filled with gold doubloons hanging before his eyes.

"Aye, mate, thousands or even more. Depends on how much ye want to invest…" Jack grinned pleased he had him interested. "It's what all the big companies do ye know. Take the East India Trading Company for example. How do ye think they got so big?"

Will blinked and shrugged his shoulders. "By selling tea and coffee?"

Jack laughed, swinging a ring-studded hand. "Of course not, mate. They had the wealthy lords _invest_ in their company. That money allowed them to grow and expand. It bought them more ships, allowed them to travel to more ports, acquired them more products from far away places and boom, they were so powerful they practically own everything now."

"But if I _invest_ in your pirate business, how will I know I'll ever see any money down the line? What's to stop you from running off with my money into the tropical sunset?" Will asked, suspicious. Still, the things Jack told him seemed to have a ring of truth to it. The East India Trading Company seemed to own almost everything and they were everywhere. For all he knew, they did have rich lords backing them. It wouldn't surprise him one bit. The wealthy stuck together and did everything to keep the poor people poor with their rules of society.

"Dividends, William. The money that comes back to you is a _dividend_. And this," Jack waved the bit of parchment. "Is what gets you your money. It will clearly show how many shares you have purchased this day, making you an official _shareholder_ in me company. And ye'll get your dividend because you'll be an honorary pirate and all pirates get their share. The better we do, the better ye do! It's a win-win situation, err?"

Will stared at Jack and then at the parchment, not sure what to think about the whole thing. It seemed like some sort of scam. He had always earned money by working for it with his muscles and sweat. And now Jack was saying he didn't have to do anything to get it. "So you're saying if a give you one coin I'll get ten coins in return later?"

"Aye, that's the general idea. The more plunder we collect each month, the more you get. We will use your contribution for ship repairs, supplies and so forth so we can do more pirating." Jack grinned, a gold tooth flashing in the bright tropical sunlight that came in through the window. "So, how many shares ye want to buy?"

"So I'd be helping you to rob innocent people…." Will stated, not sure if he was comfortable with that. Still, if the offer was genuine…

"Wealthy people, Will. Ye know I don't kill anyone if that's what's bothering you…"

Was Jack telling the truth? It was hard to tell. Jack kept switching sides, but he had come through on the end. That and he had very little spare money. With his engagement to Elizabeth, he really couldn't afford to loose it. Nor did he want to live off Governor Swann, as that just didn't seem right at all. Still, if it actually could get him a small fortune could he pass up that chance? He had seen the treasure in the cave and it was more than any king had or so he thought. Even a tiny fraction of that would be beyond his wildest hopes and dreams. He could support Elizabeth as she was meant to be…

Will took the paper and read it, still uncertain. "How would I explain the sudden wealth that came in?"

"Dividends, William, from Blackheart, Inc who for all legal purposes is a shipping company on paper."

"Oh…" Doubt and nervousness bit at him. It had been far easier breaking Jack out of jail and freeing him at the hanging. Half of him expected it to work just as Jack said and the other half of him believed Jack would run off with his coin never to be seen again. Which side of himself should he believe in?

"I never lied to you, Will." Jack added, a sincere expression on his face. "I did everything I could to protect ye from Barbossa."

Will sighed and slapped a few coins down onto the table. It wasn't much, but it was all he had at the moment.

A wide grin spread across Jack's face. "Ye won't regret this, Will, I promise ye! I'll return in three months with ye dividends from our loot!"

000

Feeling like a total idiot, Will walked back to the blacksmith shop with the parchment in his pocket. Jack had given him one hundred shares, although Will didn't exactly know if that was considered a lot or a little. It sounded like a lot to him…unless it was a hundred pence? It was a risk and he felt foolish for taking it, but there was a very slim chance that Jack might come through for him.

Then there was another issue, one that Will had thought of only after he had left. What if the authorities discovered that pirates ran Blackheart Inc? Could he get into legal trouble for owning a part of the company or wouldn't they know?

Slightly worried, Will reached the forge and soon got back to work. He needed a way to make some money now. He had been working for about an hour when the door opened again, letting a cool breeze into the blazing hot forge.

"Mr. Turner," Commodore Norrington said as he strolled into the blacksmith shop. "The Navy needs a few parts made for the _Dauntless_…"

"Good afternoon, Commodore." Will replied as a brilliant idea sprung into his head. "Tell me, Commodore, have you ever heard of a dividend?"

"A dividend?" Norrington blinked, surprised at the unexpected words. He was still a bit sore that Elizabeth had chosen a blacksmith instead of himself, but he vowed to try to treat the young man decently and not hold a grudge. Still, if he could somehow win Elizabeth back fairly… "Is that one of your tools?"

"It's an investment opportunity." Will explained with a smile. If anyone had money to waste, it was Commodore Norrington.

000

"I must be insane." James Norrington said to himself as he stepped out of the blacksmith shop, a piece of parchment in his hand proudly proclaiming him the owner of one hundred shares of the blacksmith shop. "I gave my money to Turner and all I got in return was this bit of paper. That's … I don't know what that is."

Blushing and looking around furtively, Norrington quickly folded the parchment and hid it within his pocket before anyone saw it. He had no idea where Turner had cooked up such a moneymaking scheme or why it sounded too good to be true. He had said all the right words, words that made it sound official and real. And that bit about the East India Trading Company – brilliant!

And who in their right mind would invest in a blacksmith shop? He could only do so much business anyway, as it was a one-man company. Mr. Brown didn't count, as he was drunk all the time anyway. "I'd be lucky to get my initial investment back not to mention a profit! And six months is a long time to wait…"

Vowing to send Lt. Gillette over next time, he hurried over to Fort Charles.

000

Will was ecstatic. The Commodore had handed him over a small fortune in coin, as he didn't have any smaller ones in his pocket. Not really understanding the entire shares business, Will had scribbled the same number – one hundred shares – that Jack had given him onto a new piece of paper. He had also told the Commodore six months instead of three months as blacksmithing took more time with less profit than pirating. Realizing he had stumbled onto a real way to make serious money, Will threw on a shirt and rushed off to buy a few more sheets of parchment, just in case more investors from the Navy decided to visit. The Commodore had been so flustered after his investment that he had forgotten to tell him what the ship needed in parts. That probably meant one of his lieutenants would be sent over soon. He hoped the one that showed up had a few coins in his pocket.

Will made it back to the shop a few scant minutes before Lt. Gillette showed up, a list of needed parts in his hand.

"Tell me, Lieutenant, did you ever hear of dividends?"

The End … for now.

I'll write a short sequel to show the results of this story soon, but for now I'll let you ponder this: was is a scam or was Jack telling the truth? What do you think?


	2. The Conclusion

A Business Opportunity 2

Author's Note: Sorry I left this story hanging for so long. I will try to finish it now. And please excuse any historical mistakes in this story: I'm not exactly an expert on the Age of Sail. Did they have banks back then? Anyway, its just a small detail.

000

At first Will hadn't known what to do with the small fortune he had received from Norrington, Gillette and Groves. He was tempted to just keep the coins for the future, but then he remembered Jack had said he was supposed to use the money to improve his company. But how do you improve a blacksmith shop? That had stumped Will for a long time. As he pounded on his metal possibilities rolled through his mind, but none of them seemed any good. He couldn't advertise as he already had all the business he could handle. He could possibly hire an employee but he was unsure about that. So what did that leave?

"I could try learning a new skill, like making jewelry…" Will knew that jewelry was made out of metal as well, although he was unsure how different the two jobs were. Jewelry certainly sold for more money and he could possibly profit more, couldn't he? But did he want to do that fine work? He was uncertain.

What were other possibilities? Creating a new type of metal or finding a new faster way to do the work? Both of those required a lot of creative thinking and Will was uncertain he was up to the task. Still, before the six months were up he had to think of something. Perhaps he should concentrate on increasing the speed somehow, as he doubted if he could create a new metal.

Over the next few weeks Will kept track of what was taking the most time and he noticed that people kept bringing in horses that needed shoes. Heating the metal and then slowly pounding it into the proper shape took time. He had to keep reheating it and pounding, reheating and pounding until it was just right. Making all those horseshoes took away from his sword making, which is what really generated income. And there was always people wanting nails, screws and all those little things. It took a lot of time and effort to make them, but they didn't sell for very much. Yet he couldn't stop making them as the people of Port Royal relied on him to have them. Just a simple wagon needed nails, bolts, nuts, screws, metal frames for the wheels and a few more little bits.

Exhausted from a busy morning of making hundreds of roofing nails, Will closed the shop out and went to lunch. Thanks to selling shares in his blacksmith shop, Will could not eat better and he tended to get a more nutritious lunch these days. By eating better, he could do more work and he didn't feel so sleepy all the time, either.

Stopping by the fruit stand, he bought a large yellow banana and a ripe peach. Putting them into a little basket, he stopped off at the bakery where he got a long soft roll with little black seeds on the top. After picking up some sliced ham, a small hunk of white cheese plus a bottle of ale, he was ready to eat lunch. Finding a bit of green grass by the waterfront, Will lowered himself downward to eat. While eating, he would enjoy watching the activities in the port: the ships coming and going, people fishing and so forth. The sea air smelled good and he liked the breeze in his hair, as it reminded him of his recent adventure with the pirates.

Using his dagger, he sliced open the roll and stuck the ham within, then added the cheese. It was simple but good. Chewing his sandwich, Will reached for the peach and carefully sliced it in half, carving around the pit in the middle. Pulling on the two halves, the fruit came apart in his hands. Laying one half on his leg, he reached for the hard seen still stuck in the other half. As he gripped it and pulled it free, he noticed the indentation the seed had left behind. It fitted perfectly into the shallow little hole.

A thought started to grow into his head. Putting the seed down, he placed the two halves of the peach back together, knowing there was now a perfect seed-sized hole inside the fruit. If he were to pour melted metal into that hole, would the result be a seed-shaped piece of metal? Will was pretty sure it would be. Of course, he couldn't use a peach as it was too soft and mushy, but the idea seemed sound.

Taking another bite of his sandwich, Will chewed as he thought of his new idea. If only he could use this to make nails, screws, bolts and such quickly! Just make the proper shape somehow in an object, pour the metal in, let it harden and then shake it out. It had merit and Will grew excited. It would improve his business greatly! He could even make uniform horseshoes!

But what could he make the mold out of, wood or stone? He truly had no idea what type of material would work best. Deciding he would need to experiment with what he could find lying around, Will finished his lunch.

000

Weeks rolled past and then a few months. Will's experiments were going well and he was very satisfied with his new discovery. Thanks to his creativity, he now had small wooden barrels of already made nails, screws, bolts, nuts and other common items ready for sale. He had racks of different sized horseshoes for different sized horses. His shelves also contained ready-made bits that went into a horse's mouth and the various metal pieces that went onto the bridles. He also had a large stock of anchors, fishing hooks, chains and so forth. This had increased his business as the people didn't have to wait a few days for a blacksmith to make the order and costumers were coming from farther away for the fast service once the word got out. The truth was, people didn't like waiting a few days or even a few hours for their nails or bolts. No, they wanted it right away as they had their own work to do.

Then Mr. Brown suddenly fell very ill and had died, leaving Will the owner of the blacksmith shop. It was determined that Mr. Brown's liver and kidneys had gone bad from drinking too much alcohol all the time and there had been nothing anyone could do. At least it had been quick.

With his business increasing, Governor Swann was also looking more favorably at Will these days. He was very pleased with the neatly arranged shop and the numerous items for sale. That spoke of prosperity and the Governor approved. He invited Will over for supper more often and attempted to teach him more etiquette.

Then one day Will got another letter from Blackheart, Inc. Knowing that Jack must be back in town again, the young blacksmith closed up his shop and went for a stroll down by the waterfront. Truthfully he had been so busy with his new idea of using molds that he had forgotten all about the deal he had made with Jack Sparrow. He wouldn't have thought that was possible but it was. Had it already been three months already? The time had seemed to fly by so quickly, as business was booming. Spotting the familiar sign, he wasted no time and headed in through the door. The same snobby man with frock coat and powdered wig sat behind a desk, but this time he was issued in right away.

And there was Jack Sparrow sitting in the fancy office with a powdered wig perched atop his head. Will couldn't help smiling, as the wig was a very poor disguise!

"Well, Jack? Do I get any dividends from investing in your company?" Will asked, his mind wondering if Jack was actually going to come through for him.

"That you do, mate." Jack replied as he bent down for a moment and then lifted a small wooden chest about a foot long and nearly a foot tall onto the table. Opening it, he shoved it across the table towards the blacksmith. "There be yer share, William. Ye helped us greatly and we appreciate it. We've had a very profitable time of pirating as ye can clearly see."

Peering within, Will saw it was filled with gold doubloons, pieces of expensive jewelry and a few loose jewels. And that was only the top layer, who knew what lurked further down in the chest? Happiness spread through his chest and he looked up at Jack with tears in his eyes. "This is more than I had ever hoped for!"

"That's what friends are for, mate." Jack replied as he leaned back in his chair and took a swig of rum from a dark brown bottle. "I heard your business is doing better, too, William."

"Yes, it is and it's in thanks to you, Jack." Will added happily as he looked at his pirate friend. "I thought about what you had said before, about improving one's business and I applied it to my own. I ended up creating a few new techniques and that has increased my business tenfold."

"Very clever of you, mate." Jack smiled and leaned forward to pat Will on his shoulder in congratulations. "Ye want to invest again, mate?"

Will dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. It was about six times the amount he had given Jack before. This pleased Jack greatly, of course, and so he sold dear William six hundred shares of his pirate company, promising to return with his dividends in another three months.

Picking up his heavy chest of treasure, Will left for his blacksmith shop with a bounce in his step. Things were going so well that he'd have to open up a bank account.

000

More weeks and months passed, Will's blacksmith shop doing even better than before. He could now afford better clothes and he could take Elizabeth out to dinner. Thanks to Governor Swann's kindness, he knew what each spoon or fork was for so he didn't feel so confused when eating out with his betrothed. He was invited to parties as well, as the leaders of the community saw him now as a thriving business owner.

When the six months were up and the three navy men showed up together with their pieces of shareholder papers, Will was actually able to give them their money back plus a nice profit. In other words, he had doubled their money and they were all very pleased if surprised.

"I admit I am truly surprised, Mr. Turner." Commodore Norrington said as he accepted his dividends. "How have you managed to improve your business in such a short time, all by yourself?"

"I have started using a new technique called molds that I invented myself. That way I can make many small items, like nails, quickly. It saves me a lot of time so I can make swords and the larger parts for your ships. Without nails and those other little pieces of metal, Port Royal would fall apart."

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Commodore Norrington agreed. "In fact, the _Dauntless_ needs more nails as we have run out."

Will smiled, as he knew the Navy was always running out of something. He led the three officers to the front right corner of the blacksmith shop where he had several barrels of ready made nails waiting to be sold. "I have plenty of nails right here."

"I can see why your business has improved." The Commodore said as he purchased the nails, promising to send someone to pick them up later in the day.

Yes, things were truly going well in Port Royal now.

The End

Author's Note: I'm unsure when people started using molds to make metal items but I know it is an older technique if you do it the old-fashioned way. I'm not sure if it goes back _this_ far though. Oh well, it is just a story.


End file.
